


Welcome to the Game

by dumb_hoe_energy



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Comedy, Competition, Fantasy AU, Gen, King GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-13 00:28:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28644474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dumb_hoe_energy/pseuds/dumb_hoe_energy
Summary: The fulfillment of one wish. That is the prize for first place. It can be anything: vast amounts of wealth, eternal life, resurrection of the dead. Nothing is off limits. You could have anything you want.So, how far are you willing to go for this prize?
Relationships: Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson
Comments: 57
Kudos: 62





	1. Mission Impossible

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Imagine starting three projects and procrastinating on all of them. That could not be me.
> 
> Anyhow, did I make this at 12:47 A.M because I was in the spur of the moment? 
> 
> Yes
> 
> Will I continue writing it because I like the concept? 
> 
> Yes

Flapping his wings, he narrowly dodges each of the monster’s attacks. With sweat trickling down his forehead and the feeling in his hand starting to grow numb, he knows he’s reaching his limit. They need to finish up this monster quickly because in a battle of stronger stamina, the monster definitely has an edge. He maneuvers carefully in the air, entangling the monster’s spiky body with a thick, black, glowing chain. Once he has the chain wrapped around the monster’s abdomen; he musters all of his strength to keep the monster in place. But, it’s easier said than done, especially when the monster is 20 times his size. He pulls onto the chain like his dear life depends on it. He just needs to hold the monster in place for a few seconds longer. 

“Do it, Techno!!” He screams out, desperation evident in his voice. His knuckles have paled. He’s tugging onto the chain so hard he feels his own nails digging into his skin. Fortunately, he doesn’t have to wait long before his vision is blinded by red and everything goes silent. He stumbles back a few steps as the heavy tug he was fighting against has suddenly vanished. The savage monster that was resisting his hold with all its power had suddenly stopped moving. Rubbing at his eyes, he accidentally smears the scarlet liquid all over his cheeks. He blinks until his vision comes back to him. 

“You alright, Phil?” A voice calls for him. The person sounds worried. It’s the same sound of panic in the latter’s voice that leaves a small smile on his lips.  
“Yeah, mate. Some blood spurted in my eye.” Phil finally manages to focus his vision. The image of Technoblade’s bloody smile greeting his view. His pink dyed hair is drenched in a coat of red. His snowy white attire is smothered with the color red. Everything on him is engulfed in red. 

Phil stares for a few seconds, nearly missing Techno’s question. “You sure? Do you need to regen?” Techno offers a regeneration potion in his hand, a thin smile on his lips. Phil grabs onto the potion and chugs it down in one gulp. Releasing a satisfied sigh, Phil gives the latter a reassuring smile.  
“How many points was that one worth again?” Phil glances over to the decapitated monster. Its corpse has begun to release a smoky aroma, signalling that it’s about to disappear. That’s how dead things work in this world; once something dies, their corpse dissipates into thin air, leaving nothing but a foggy mist as a trace.  
“Around a hundred thousand, right?” Flapping his wings, Phil blows away the fog. With the annoying mist slowly disappearing, the area around the monster’s corpse was starting to clear up. In the middle of it all, they can make out a conspicuous chest. The chest is glowing in a purple tinted light; the color seems to shine even more than usual in the dark night. It’s a majestic sight to see. And for a few seconds, Phil stares at the object absentmindedly before Technoblade’s voice brings him back to reality. “Phil, you gotta open the chest to receive the points.” Nodding, Phil pushes the lid open as a robotic voice enters his ears:  
“Congratulations, Phil! You have slayed an S tier monster! You will receive: 100k exp points! You are currently 2nd on the leaderboard with 8.1 million exp points! Would you like to be reminded of your rank’s advantages?”

Phil shakes his head, internally stating a firm “no”. At his answer, the robotic voice seems to stop narrating inside his brain as only silence follows. “Phil, you alright?” Technoblade offers his outstretched hand. Phil has just realized that he has somehow fallen onto the ground. “Yeah, it’s just hearing the voice inside my head freaks me out.” Phil remarks casually, grabbing onto his friend’s hand to pull himself up. 

“Really? I’ve gotten used to it already. They are always talking.”  
“The robot talks to you?” Phil cocks his head to the side with curiosity.  
“Ohhh. You’re talking about the robot’s voice. Oh, nevermind.” Technoblade quickly dismisses the subject. Changing the topic, he asks, “It’s pretty late. Should we go see if there’s any places we can sleep at?”  
“Yeah, we should sleep early today. We have a big day tomorrow.” Phil pats at his friend’s back. A smile on his lips as he feels the pink-haired man stiffen at his comment.  
“Oh no. Are you still talking about that?”  
“Yep! We’re going to complete the hardest mission of all time!”  
“Phil, please no. I don’t want to.” Technoblade heaves out an exaggerated sigh.  
“We’re going to be making new friends!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I make Techno and Philza have an adorable friendship?
> 
> Yes
> 
> Am I sleep deprived?
> 
> Also yes
> 
> Will I update the next chapter tmr?
> 
> Yes
> 
> Now, did you like the chapter?  
> plz say yes or I’ll simply cry.


	2. Friends Are Whack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> helloooooooooooooooooo the chapter’s name is very true.

“Phil, I think two people is enough. Why do we need to find other people?” Technoblade raises his voice, stress lacing his words. Although he knows exactly why Phil insists on recruiting new teammates, he still refuses to accept it without complaint. He has his eyebrows furrowed and his nose scrunched just at the thought of human interaction. Phil has been his only friend for the longest time; he doesn’t even remember having a proper conversation with anyone else but him. Except for the occasional greetings and small talks, he doesn’t know what people talk about nowadays.

“Techno, you know exactly why we need more teammates. We need to complete that mission of yours! You’ve been postponing doing it for weeks now. Do you really want to lose a canon life for not completing such an easy task?” Phil reprimands his whining friend. He understands that the latter isn’t the best at socializing; but, there is no way in hell he is willing to allow his friend to lose a canon life. 

In this world, everyone is given 3 canon lives. There are two ways in which you can lose them: Not completing a task in time and losing all health can result in a loss of a canon life. Once you lose a canon life, it is impossible to regain it back with magical items. So, the moment you lose your last canon life; you will disappear from this world. 

“Which is exactly why...You need to finish this fucking task!” Phil screams at the top of his lungs. He seems genuinely frustrated at his friend’s behavior. He knows Techno doesn’t really mean what he’s saying and that he’ll end up completing the mission in the end. But that doesn’t stop the turmoil in his stomach. He can’t explain why he feels this way, and maybe that’s why it infuriates him even more. Techno seems to care so little about his own safety and it pisses him off. 

Taken by surprise, it takes a moment for Technoblade to register Phil’s sudden outburst. He knows he’s been annoying complaining about completing the task, but he didn’t expect Phil to suddenly raise his voice. “Sorry. I will, Phil. Don’t worry about it.” Technoblade reassures, a small smile on his lips. “Yeah, sorry for yelling.” Phil pats at Technoblade’s shoulders, noticing the way the latter relaxed after his apology. 

“Alright, should I drink the invis pot now?” Phil looks down to the town below them. The view from the mountains is quite nice. From there, they can see the bustling streets and chatting bystanders. The streets are lit up with custom-made lanterns, their intricate patterns illuminating various images onto the ground. The street looks warm, something the two aren’t very accustomed to. 

“Yeah. You should go ahead and fly down after you drink em.” Technoblade advises, his eyes never straying from the warmly lit up streets below him. Noticing the look on Techno’s face, Phil smiles lightly. “It’s beautiful, right? Nothing compared to back home.”  
“Our home is beautiful too,” Technoblade insists.   
“Yes, our snowy island is beautiful but it doesn't have what this place has: There’s actual people living here. There’s an actual civilization.”   
“Let’s go”, Technoblade says, a smile dancing on his lips. 

Phil downs a potion of invisibility before opening up his wings for take off. He jumps off the cliff of the mountain with closed eyes. Allowing himself to fall for a second, he gains some momentum before spreading his wings and flying far into the sky. The wind brushes against his face, disheveling his hair and clothing. The soft breeze almost startles Phil; he had expected a gush of frigid wind to suffocate him like it did back home. But this place is so warm. 

Watching Phil’s potion particles safely land onto the ground, Technoblade drinks the last bit of the slow falling potion. He backs up a few steps before running straight off the cliff. Gravity pulls him towards the ground gradually. He floats down like a feather falling from the sky. It’s quite a high fall and it attracts a few prying eyes. By the time he manages to touch the ground, he’s gathered quite a large crowd. It’s understandable why someone like him would catch people’s attention; with that flashy entrance and his bloody attire, it’s hard to not notice his presence. 

Technoblade hears the citizens whisper to each other, wary eyes scrutinizing his every movement. He doesn’t know what to do or say. Should he be saying something? He breathes out irregularly, his cheeks glowing red from embarrassment. This is a high-stress situation; I deal with these poorly, he thinks. He’s considering pushing his way through the crowd to leave the scene; but, before he can even attempt it, a blonde boy approaches him. 

The boy’s name tag proudly displays his name: Tommy. With his sudden appearance, the people in the crowd seem to gossip even louder. It takes a while but Technoblade eventually recognizes the boy’s name.

“Hey! Why the fuck are you all bloody and shit?” Tommy grunts in disgust. He’s openly eyeing every inch of Technoblade. His eyebrows frowning deeper the longer he looks at him.  
“I was hunting monsters” Technoblade answers truthfully.   
“Yeah? Monsters, eh? Monsters around here are all C tier levels or lower. There’s no way you could’ve been splattered with that much blood!” Tommy draws out his sword, pointing the sharp tip at Techno’s vulnerable throat. Monsters of lower tier levels are usually hollow and have little to no blood. Looking at the amount of blood plastered on his clothes, it would look like he murdered humans rather than monsters.   
“It was an S tier monster.” Technoblade simply states. He knows he looks suspicious but he doesn’t know what to say in his defense. He can only tell the truth. 

The crowd surrounding them seemingly gasped all together simultaneously. At his answer, the young boy in front of him seem to be taken aback. “An S tier monster?” Tommy grinds his teeth, shooting Technoblade a brooding glare. “If you are going to lie, at least make it believable!” Tommy brings his sword above his head, he’s getting ready to strike but a quick swipe at his legs causes him to lose his balance. He stumbles onto the floor, his weapon flung out of his hand. Before he can reach for it, Technoblade beats him to it. 

“I’m not lying.” Technoblade says simply.  
“You! You just!” Tommy shouts intermittently, he seems to be at a loss for words.   
“How did you do that so fast?” Tommy asks, a hint of astonishment in his voice.  
“Through practice I guess” Technoblade shrugs.   
“Would you teach me?”  
“Heh?”   
“Teach me your ways, bitch!!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yooooooooooooooooooooooo I made Tommy so cool. You guys aren’t ready for him to be this cool. 
> 
> This is Tommy’s cool arc.   
> This is Techno’s making friends arc.  
> And this Phil’s adoption arc.
> 
> Where’s Wilbur? he’ll come up soon.
> 
> anyway, I hoped you enjoyed the chapter!  
> I’ll try to do daily uploads, but if I can’t then just assume I died.


	3. A Challenger Approaches!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bruh there’s like two people reading this, but I’m still gonna write it cuz I like the concept too much.
> 
> Plus, I’ve already written the characters backstory and I just wanna AHHHHHH I’m so excited.

“No” Technoblade grimaces, noticing the way Tommy scowls at his answer. He doesn’t want an apprentice; and, even if he did, he would certainly not take in someone this hot-headed. First impressions are important and his image of the blonde boy isn’t very positive. After all, this is the same person who had just tried to slice him in half minutes ago.   
“Why not?!” Tommy protests.   
“You just tried to kill me!”  
“I wasn’t actually trying to! Plus, do you know who I am? I’m Tommy! You know? The 5th guy on the leaderboard! I’m strong and shit!” Tommy snaps, a holographic screen appearing before him. He presses onto the menu option and pulls up the global leaderboard. With a cocky grin smeared on his face, Tommy points at his name on the list of people. At the 5th rank, it shows his profile as well as the number of points he’s racked up:   
Tommy [2.2 million]

Throughout Tommy’s rant, Technoblade has the same blank expression on his face. He really can’t be bothered with this nuisance right now; he needs to find Phil and leave this scene. He’s drawn far too much attention to himself. He’s contemplating on the next escape plan but an ear-piercing shout catches his attention. The sound was deafening and he can hear his ears ring afterwards as a result. The mass of people surrounding them yelp in surprise, gripping onto their ringing ears. Some of the audience fled from the scene, afraid a fight will break out and they’ll be hit in the process. “Listen to me! Why are you spacing out, dickhead?” Tommy glares at Technoblade, his blue eyes boring holes into the latter’s head. He can’t accept it. This mysterious man had easily defeated him in a matter of seconds. Tommy rarely loses fights; and, even if he did, at least the fights were close. But throughout the whole encounter, the man had completely wiped the floor with him; he couldn’t even react before he'd realized he had already lost. 

“Who are you?” Tommy glances up at the name tag above the man’s head.   
“Technoblade? You’re not even on the leaderboard!” Tommy fumes. He’s taking this lost rather personally; his pride has been beaten to a pulp. He can’t let Technoblade get away with that.   
“Exactly, I’m just a regular guy. So, you should just let me go.” Technoblade throws back Tommy’s golden sword. He’s trying to find an exit through the crowd but Tommy gets in his way again. Standing in his path, Tommy’s glaring at Technoblade with all his might.   
“Duel me!” Tommy shouts. Technoblade can’t explain it but something about Tommy’s voice causes his body to still. It’s the type of voice that forces his body to act against his will. Maybe it’s an ability, he notes to himself.  
“Will you leave me alone if I do?” Technoblade unsheathes his sword from the scabbard. The sword is a thin katana with a hilt embellished by ruby crystals. The red pattern glints, it’s more conspicuous surrounded by the darkness of the night.   
“Sure” Tommy has a lopsided smile on his lips. He brandishes his sword: The golden blade matching with his blond curls. 

Tommy presses a button on the holographic screen. The system reads in a robotic voice inside his head: “Would you like to challenge [Technoblade] ?” “Yes!” Tommy exclaims out loud. 

On Technoblade’s end, he hears a monotonous voice announce in his ear:   
“[Tommy] challenges you to a duel! [Tommy] has offered the item [Unknown Map]. Would you like to accept the duel?” Hearing the robotic voice finish, Technoblade narrows his eyes at the boy in front of him.   
“An unknown map?” He asks dubiously.   
“Don’t look at me like that! The item is useful! Now, what are you betting on?” He asks impatiently, but he quickly finds out the answer to his question as the system’s voice resounds through his ears: “[Technoblade] has offered the item [Old Shoe]. Would you like to accept the duel?’ Tommy internally curses at the petty man. But in the end, he answers an eager “yes!”, initiating the duel. 

The robotic voice starts explaining the rules out loud, catching the interests of the bystanders surrounding them. The crowd erupts into chatter as they debate on who will come out victorious. With the loud commotion, it attracts a certain individual draped in a black cloak. 

“The rules are simple: To win the duel, the player must either force their opponent to surrender or lower their opponent’s health to 10 HP. During battle, it is impossible for external forces to intervene. The winner will receive their opponent’s offered item and the loser will receive nothing. The duel will begin in 3...2...1...!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehe cliffhanger because I’m awesome.
> 
> I have an essay I need to write, but here I am making a story about block men. 
> 
> Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed it! You should comment something because I like when people do that. Unless the comment is an insult to my writing then uhh you should still comment it but add a heart emoji so I don’t cry.


	4. Familiar Faces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hellloooooooooooooooooo
> 
> I know I said I’ll do daily uploads but um I sorta died. So, whoops...
> 
> Anyway, I’ve been crying over the techno plushies that youtooz plans on making during the summer. I will be selling my soul for that plushie. I must have it.

With a dark cloak covering his face, Dream strolls down the bustling street. He’s humming a soft tune under his breath as he takes a second to breathe in the fresh air. It’s been a while since he’s set foot outside the castle. He hasn’t visited his favorite ramen restaurant in ages. Contemplating, he considers inviting George to the restaurant on his birthday. He considers it for a second before heaving out a dramatic sigh. There’s no way he’ll agree. As the crown prince, George grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth. As if he would even go into the proximity of that restaurant. 

“Fight! Fight! Fight!” Dream hears a chant from the end of the street. It seems like a fight has broken out. With a mischievous smirk, Dream skips over to join the noisy crowd. He hears the robotic countdown reach zero as the crowd roars correspondingly. Are these famous people or something? Dream thinks to himself, trying to push his way through the horde of bodies.

Once he’s managed to get a good view, he can finally see who the contestants are. First, he glances over at the name tag above the blond boy’s head. Humming in acknowledgement, he nods his head in interest. A strong first contender, he finds himself thinking. Then, his eyes wanders over to the pink-haired man’s name tag. 

“Technoblade?” Dream says out loud, his mouth slightly agape.   
Hearing Dream’s comment, a stranger besides him adds, “Yeah, I don’t know who the guy is either but he’s pretty good.”  
“It’s Technoblade”, Dream mutters to himself. Covering his mouth in astonishment, he seems like he can’t believe his eyes. A million thoughts pop up in his head: What is Technoblade doing here? Why does he look so different? Where has he been for the last 5 years?

“Stop dodging and attack me!!” Tommy’s shout pulls him back to reality. Looks like the fight has been going on for a few minutes now. Dream watches as Technoblade blocks every one of Tommy’s attacks. He seems to be on the defensive side since he hasn’t gone for a single attack. Why is he holding back? 

“I don’t want to hit a child.” Technoblade explains during the battle, his voice not hitching in the slightest despite being in constant motion. Rather than it being out of good will, it seems like Technoblade was taunting Tommy. With all these attempts to strike a hit, Tommy has not landed a single one. It must be quite a blow to Tommy’s ego. Dream smiles at that thought. Even now, Technoblade effortlessly shatters the hopes of children. He hasn’t changed.

“Fight me, Technoblade!” As if he was complying to the order, Technoblade suddenly aims his sword at Tommy’s abdomen.   
“Stop!” The tip of the sword is about to pierce through Tommy’s stomach but a commanding voice stops him from moving a muscle. Technoblade doesn’t understand it but suddenly he’s immobilized. He can’t move a single finger. 

At the sudden change of pace, Dream frowns at the situation before him. Tommy has activated his ability. That’s the one thing Tommy has over Technoblade. Tommy is in the top 10 of people who have accumulated the most exp points. The biggest advantage of being on the leaderboard is the reward of a gifted ability. The system rewards the player’s hard work by giving them an ability. This ability is often related to the player’s character. In the case of Tommy, his ability is called the Voice of Power. As the name may suggest, it is the ability to control people with one’s voice. The system rewarded Tommy with this type of ability because it is fitting for Tommy’s personality. 

“Hah! I got you! You kept underestimating me! This is what you get, dickhead!” Tommy laughs in satisfaction. He has his eyes widened so high, it’s almost disturbing.   
“What? Why aren’t you saying anything, Technoblade?” Tommy taunts at the frozen man. He seems to forget about the fight as he crouches down to Technoblade’s eye level, making ugly faces at the man.   
“Now, say that you’ve lost to me, Technoblade!” Tommy smiles, becoming slight teary-eyed. He can’t tell if he’s crying because he’s happy about defeating a strong opponent or he’s crying from the lack of blinking he’s been doing. He wants to relax his eyes but he knows he can’t right now.   
“Tommy”, Technoblade begins by saying, “Come closer, I’ll whisper it to you.”   
At this response, Tommy erupts into a fit of laughter. With closed eyes and a hand over his stomach, he almost dies of laughing.  
“Technoblade, you must be so embarrassed right now. You can’t even admit defeat out loud??” Tommy laughs for a few more seconds before inching closer to Technoblade.   
“Tommy” Technoblade pauses. “You should pay more attention to your opponent.”   
Technoblade grips onto Tommy’s head, pulling his head downwards until it comes into contact with his knee. Taking advantage of Tommy’s moments of surprise, Technoblade quickly hits the latter’s sword away. While Tommy’s crouched over trying to stop his nosebleed, Technoblade trips him by kicking at his calves. Tumbling, Tommy falls down onto the floor. 

With no weapon in hand and a bloody nose running down his chin, Tommy stares at the blade held at his throat. He breathes out unevenly, glancing up at the man glaring at him.

“Surrender.” Technoblade makes it short and clear. He doesn’t have any interests in beating up a child: he’ll rather quickly end it by forcing Tommy to forfeit the fight.   
“How did you do that?”   
“You were careless, Tommy. Your ability is strong but you forgot about the limitations.  
Once you blink, your power stops working, right?” After a moment of silence, Tommy gives a slight nod. He must’ve made it too obvious what his ability’s limitation was.   
“Fine, whatever. I surrender.” Tommy mumbles the last part. He stands up from the ground, holding his bloody nose. 

At Tommy’s resignation, the robotic voice returns. It states in a plain voice: “Congratulations, [Technoblade]! You have won the duel! Your reward is [Tommy’s] offered item, [Unknown Map]!” Technoblade puts away his sword, placing it back into his scabbard. He offers a handkerchief to the blond boy. It’s a blue thin fabric decorated by a white globe in the center. Tommy takes it, patting the fabric onto his nose. He mumbles a quiet “thank you”. He looks like a beaten puppy: He’s lost all of the energy and confidence from earlier. 

Standing among the crowd, Dream suppresses the smile pushing its way onto his lips. He’s considering approaching Technoblade before he hears a small ‘ding’ in his ears. Opening his chat box, he notices he’s gotten over 10 messages from Sapnap. He must’ve not realized since he was focused on the duel. Reading the message, he pouts indignantly. In all capitalized letters, Sapnap demands he returns to the castle. He looks at Technoblade talking to Tommy. He wants to wait around for a little longer but another “ding” sounds in his ear. He reads the bolder message: “Dream, where the hell are you??” He groans exasperatedly. There’s no work when he’s at the castle, but when he takes a break for a couple hours, all hell breaks loose. Face palming, he spares one last glance at Technoblade and Tommy before fleeing from the crowd. 

>>>

“Dream, where were you all day??” Sapnap questions his grumpy friend. He doesn’t know what’s gotten him in a bad mood but he doesn’t care to find out. “Why are you the one in a bad mood? I’m the one who had to cover for you when Prince Fundy asked for you!” With a disgruntled expression, Sapnap lightly shoves at Dream’s shoulder. “Prince Fundy of Manberg? What’s he doing here?” Dream questions, fidgeting with the silver epaulet on his shoulders. He doesn’t seem to be fully focused on the conversation as he begins to stroll around a pillar.   
“You tell me. Apparently, he got an invitation to George’s coronation and he decided to visit L’Manberg a month early.” Sapnap explains, rolling his eyes in annoyance. He glances over to his friend. Dream seems to be in some kind of trance, dancing around the pillar with his sword in hand. He has an endearing grin on his face as he swings his green sword, slicing at the particles of the air. 

“You seem excited. Looking forward to George’s coronation day? He was asking me for ideas on activities we can set up. Got any ideas?” Leaning on one of the pillars, Sapnap crosses his arms. He’s watching as his friend acts out a battle with an imaginary opponent. Dream abruptly stops in his steps. He makes eye contact with Sapnap, eyes glinting with excitement.   
“We can organize a tournament! A dueling tournament to showcase George’s fighting skills.” Dream walks around, contemplating.   
“How about a team versus team competition? We’ll compete too! Me, you, George, and Bad! And we’ll offer 5 million exp points as the winning prize! The tournament will be massive!” Dream explains his plan, ranting on and on about how great it’ll be.  
“Wait, hold up! You said the winning prize was 5 million exp points. Dream, you are in 3rd place with 5 million exp points. Are you suggesting what I think you are suggesting??”   
“I know it sounds crazy right now but hear me out. All four of us are all on the leaderboard. We all have gifted abilities, which is a huge advantage over the average team. Plus, we’re all excellent in combat. We’re the most overpowered team possible! There’s no way we’ll end up losing!”   
Sapnap still seems dubious over this risky plan. He knows his own rank is safe because he’s not the one betting all of his points in a tournament but it stills make him anxious.  
“Are you sure, Dream? Losing all your points means losing your rank. And once you lose your rank, your ability will also be taken away.” Sapnap tries persuading his friend for the last time to no avail.   
“This tournament is going to be crazy! With that big of a prize, he has no choice but to participate!” Dream seems like he’s plotting something but Sapnap can’t quite place his finger on it.  
“What the hell are you talking about?”   
Dream turns to face Sapnap, a wide grin across his face. “I can finally have a rematch!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DRE STRIKES AGAIN. HE RECOGNIZES TECHNOBLADE?? HOW??? HMMM???
> 
> lmao hoped you guys liked the chapter. It took ages to write cuz I was busy with school.
> 
> anyway, I don’t know when the next update will be but it’ll be soon. 
> 
> you should comment, I like when people do that. Or leave a kudos plz?
> 
> fun fact: I used to pronounce kudos as cooties. I am very articulate as you can see.


	5. A New Guild

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hellooooooooooooo it is me.
> 
> I’m dying bro. Why does writing take so long??? Like I didn’t even get that much done and it took me 3 hours. Maybe I’m just slow.
> 
> Anyway, here’s the thing you came for~

Phil has an awkward smile on his face as he nods in agreement to the latter’s rant about his love for peanuts. He isn’t fully listening as he sips at the lavender tea offered to him. He really needs to regroup with Technoblade but it’ll be rude to suddenly leave in the middle of the conversation.   
“I had bought 5 bags of peanuts from this shop and the petty owner said I couldn’t buy anymore because she was concerned for my health or something like that. Can you believe her?” Wilbur complains, intentionally avoiding the shop owner’s annoyed stare.   
“I am right here”, Niki says in a soft voice. She has a pout on her lips as she shoots Wilbur a judging stare.   
“Anyway, I told her I’ll just buy bags of peanuts at other shops. But then I couldn’t find any other shops that sold lightly salted peanuts. But, since you bumped into me and caused me to drop a bottle of wine, I started to become teary-eyed and then you felt bad so you offered to buy me another wine but then I asked for a bag of peanuts. Then, since you were buying the peanuts, the owner couldn’t refuse so here we are. I got the fucking bag of peanuts. It’s a good day.” Wilbur rants on and on about his peanut story, mocking Niki as he’s gotten his hands on yet another bag of peanuts. Niki draws her lips into a thin line. She can’t believe she’s friends with this peanut maniac. She honestly deserves so much better.

Phil is about to listen to another one of Wilbur’s rambles about his nut obsession but his emerald earrings vibrate right next to his ear. He rises from his seat, catching the attention of both Wilbur and Niki. Excusing himself, Phil whispers, “I got a call. I’ll be right back.”

Exiting the shop, he goes outside and ducks into a dark alleyway. “Pick up call” , he says to himself. Registering his voice, the sparkling emerald flashes intermittently before stopping.   
“Hello? Phil? Where are you?” He hears Technoblade’s voice come through. Sighing in both exhaustion and relief, Phil answers, “I’m by a shop called Nightless. Sorry, I didn’t mean to run off. I just accidentally ran into this guy and I broke something of his, so I just wanted to apologize by buying him something.” Phil huffs out a short breath. “What have you been up to?”  
“Me? Phil, I fought a child.” Phil chuckles, not expecting that answer at all.   
“You’re fighting children again? I thought you got rid of that habit.” Teasing, Phil smiles as he can practically hear the latter’s embarrassment. “Don’t mention that, Phil.”  
“Who was it? And where are their parents?”  
“It’s Tommy.” “Are you shit talking about me?” He hears an angry voice interrupt the call.  
“Tommy, you’re so loud. I’m trying to talk. Anyhow, I think he’s an orphan.” Technoblade deadpans, causing Phil to burst into laughter.   
“I am not an orphan, you dickhead! I have parents!”  
“He seems fierce. That Tommy guy...His name sounds familiar”, Phil remarks.  
“Yeah, because I’m famous, bitch!”  
“Tommy, would you please stop being annoying for five consecutive seconds? Why are you even following me anyway? Go back to your home.”   
“I’m not following you! I’m just going in the same direction!” Phil hears them bicker, choosing to stay silent as he suppresses his laughter.   
“Phil, I’ll be there in a minute. I gotta go deal with this homeless kid.” Ending the call, Phil doubles over in laughter. It’s been such a long time since Phil has last seen Technoblade so comfortable around someone. This Tommy kid must be not that bad. Smiling, Phil returns to the Nightless shop. He takes a seat next to Wilbur who’s explaining to Niki about the origin of peanuts.   
“Phil, if it’s urgent you can go, you don’t have to stay for this man’s peanut talks.” Niki offers a courteous smile, refilling Phil’s cup of tea.   
“No, it’s fine. I’m waiting for someone. I just got a call from a friend. He was fighting this kid named Tommy, but he said that he’ll be here soon.” Niki and Wilbur both freeze up. They both give an odd expression to each other. Phil doesn’t know why they are looking at him like he’s grown a head: It’s not like he’s said something crazy.   
“Your friend fought Tommy? Is he ok?” Wilbur rubs his temples in distress. It seems like he knows of Tommy. Meanwhile, Niki has a somber expression on her face. “Phil, Tommy is not a bad kid. He’s just really impulsive. If you want any healing supplies, I’ll give it to you.” Phil finally understands the situation: Both Niki and Wilbur think that Tommy won the fight.   
“He’s totally fine, guys. I think you should be worrying about Tommy instead. He’s the one who lost the fight.” Phil doesn’t actually know if Technoblade won but he doubts the chances of him losing. Plus, Technoblade would’ve brought it up if he lost. So, Phil just assumed Tommy got his ass handed to him. 

At Phil’s comment, Wilbur and Niki give another odd expression at each other. They seemed to be skeptical at first but then remembered who they are talking to. “Phil, who is this friend of yours? Are they also on the leaderboard?” Wilbur questions, pulling up the leaderboard screen. He glosses over the list of names, guessing, he asks, “Is your friend Dream?” “No, no, no. He isn’t on the top 10 leaderboard. But I see that Tommy is, do you know him?” 

Both Niki and Wilbur nod. They almost seemed embarrassed to admit to such a thing. “Tommy is actually my little brother. It’s really not something I’m proud of.” Wilbur sighs melodramatically, shaking his head with a sullen look. “And do you know what’s worse, Phil?” Wilbur pauses, positioning the holographic screen that displays the leaderboard in front of Phil. He points at his own name at 8th place. “I’m below him on the leaderboard, Phil. That’s all he talks about. He keeps bragging about it. I just wanna...I just wanna beat him up. Not physically because I’ll probably lose, but emotionally? Now, that’s something I can get behind.”  
“Wilbur, stop joking about that. Phil will think you’re being serious.” Niki advises, noticing the weird smile forced on Phil’s face.  
“Joking? No, I will legitimately bully him. It’s about time I stop being nice to that little shit. From today and onwards, I will bully Tommy everyday like my life depends on it.”  
“What the fawk?” Tommy shouts, interrupting Wilbur’s villain monologue. “What the fuck are you talking about?” Tommy enters the shop with Technoblade by his side. He doesn’t know who this man named Phil is, but he doesn’t care because he just walked in on his older brother taking an oath to bully him.

Wilbur strolls closer to him and Technoblade. He scrutinizes Technoblade’s blood-stained outfit. With a brow raised, Wilbur inquiries, “Why are you so bloody?” Before Technoblade goes to defend himself, Tommy interjects, “He fought an S tier monster. It’s not what it looks like.” Standing between Technoblade and Wilbur, Tommy fends off Wilbur’s suspicions by interfering. And just like that, Wilbur switches back to his normal self, inviting the two inside with an amiable smile. 

Technoblade goes to sit besides Phil. He looks up to Niki who is also staring at him with curious eyes. “Can he get a cup of milk?” Phil orders for Technoblade. With a nudge at his shoulder, Technoblade looks over to Phil. He’s exhausted all his energy today. From battling a powerful monster to beating up a child, it’s really taken a toll on his body. “Are you tired?” Phil pats at his friend’s shoulder. “Yeah, I’m sleepy. Have you found a place to crash at?” Phil shakes his head. He glances over to Niki who had just poured Technoblade a warm cup of milk.   
“Do you know if there’s any places we can sleep at?”   
“No, I don’t think so. Sorry, but-”  
“But, if you want, Technoblade, you can sleep at our place.” Tommy barges in, taking a seat besides Technoblade. He glances over to Wilbur to see if there’s any objections. Wilbur doesn’t say anything, simply shrugging as a response.   
“Thank you, Tommy. We’ll make sure to pay you back.” Phil shows his gratitude to the blond boy to which he receives a confused look. “Who are you?” Tommy reads the latter’s name tag, his eyes widening in the process. “You’re Phil!” He points at Phil with an accusative finger. He then points at Technoblade. He switches from pointing between the two as if he’s making any kind of understandable points. “Yes, that is my name.” Phil nods. He sees Wilbur facepalming himself behind Tommy. “Techno, I thought you were a nobody. Why are you friends with the second guy on the leaderboard??” Tommy has his mouth agape. Then, he’s hit with an epiphany. “I didn’t lose to some random drug dealer! Techno is friends with Phil!” Wilbur smacks at the back of Tommy’s head, causing him to double over. “Sorry about him. Should we get going?” Phil nods his head in agreement, calling Niki over to pay for his and Techno’s drinks. He opens up the system, initiating a transfer of 1,000 exp points. Noticing this, Niki exclaims in surprise, “No, 100 exp would be enough. This is too much, Phil.” Shaking his head, Phil replies, “It’s fine. It’s a tip.” With Technoblade murmuring an inaudible ‘thank you’, they leave the shop with a wave of goodbye. Leaving last, Phil drinks an invisibility potion to hide his name tag. He waves goodbye to Niki before shutting the wooden door. 

“Our house is nearby. It’s fine to just walk.” Wilbur informs, walking ahead to lead the way.   
“So, Technoblade, are you from here? Why haven’t I heard about you? ” Tommy starts the conversation. He seems curious about Technoblade: He wants to know why he hasn’t heard of him until today. Someone like him is hard to miss.   
“We’re not from around here. We actually came here so Techno can complete his mission”, Phil explains to Tommy.   
“What mission?”, Wilbur asks. He looks at Technoblade for an answer. Seeing the man hesitate as he looks towards Phil for guidance, Wilbur finds it funny. It’s like a child looking at their parents for permission. Wilbur huffs out a small chuckle.   
Technoblade stops in his tracks, pulling up his system’s screen. On the holographic screen, the white letters read, “Build a Guild”. Underneath the direction is a white bar that’s been filled to half-way. There’s also the fraction 2/4 displayed near it.   
“You need two more people?” Tommy’s eyes sparkle with hope. He looks over to Wilbur to see the latter’s reaction. Wilbur reciprocates the stare, contemplating for a bit before giving a slight nod.   
“We’re two people! We can help you complete the mission” Tommy is trying to hold back a grin from crawling onto his face. But he knows he’s grinning right now. He’s going to be a part of a guild! Technoblade and Phil (and Wilbur) are going to be in his guild!   
“Can we get anyone but Tommy?” Technoblade asks in a monotone voice. It’s hard to determine whether he’s joking or not. “Fuck you, Techno! I’m strong, alright? I only lost once.”  
“Yeah, we should find someone better, shouldn’t we?” Wilbur joins Technoblade in bullying Tommy, laughing as Tommy seems to almost explode in anger.   
“Alright, that’s enough. Stop bullying the child. Techno, are you going to send them an invitation?” Phil interrupts their shenanigans, helping them not get off track. At Phil’s advice, Technoblade sends the two brothers an invitation to the guild. Once both Wilbur and Tommy have accepted the invitation, the system’s robotic voice announces in their ears “A guild has been formed! Please name your guild!”   
“Huge Men! That should be our name, it describes us perfectly!” Tommy suggests.   
“No, how about White Men?? No, that sounds weird. How about Men? Doesn’t that scare you? If I saw men I would shit myself. Wait, don’t name it men because men are terrible. Let’s name it Women Lovers!! Or Wife Havers!”  
“Shut up, Tommy. Technoblade, do you have any ideas?” Wilbur looks over to Technoblade.   
“I’m sleepy”  
“Sleepy?” Wilbur repeats to himself. He jumps in his spot, a light bulb lighting up above his head. He submits something into the system as a loading screen appears on all of their screens. In a robotic voice, the system announces in all of their ears: “The [Sleepy Bois] guild has been formed!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sleepy Bois is such a legendary name but I really liked the White Men one too.
> 
> Anyway, hoped you liked it! I had fun writing this!
> 
> Plz comment! It makes me happy. But if you don’t want to then it’s fine. Byeeee


	6. Training Arc!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hellooooooooooooooooooooo it is me!
> 
> Thank you to those that commented on my last update. It makes me really happy. 
> 
> Anyway, the first half of this chapter was just an excuse for me to make fun of people who drink milk by itself.

Blinking awake, Technoblade feels the warm sunlight glowing on his skin. The sun seems to wake up earlier here compared to back home. It also seems like the sun shines brighter around here. Rubbing at his eyes, he looks around the unfamiliar room with hazy eyes. It’s a fairly small room with only enough space for a small bed and a wooden drawer. Although it may seem cramped for some people, Technoblade likes the way that it is. It’s a nice reminder of how his house is at home. He gets out of his bed, neatly folding the blanket and setting it aside. Exiting the room, Technoblade is greeted by Wilbur’s welcoming smile. 

“Techno, you sure slept in: It’s nearly the afternoon.” Wilbur pats the seat next to him, gesturing for Technoblade to take a seat.  
“He usually sleeps in”, Phil comments with a small smile. He grabs a nearby wooden cup to pour Technoblade a cup of milk. Grabbing a bowl, he also serves Technoblade chicken stew.  
“Thank you”, Technoblade mumbles, his morning voice comes off as a little hoarse.  
“So, since you’ve completed your mission, what’s your plan from here?” Wilbur watches as the pink-haired man takes intermittent sips at his milk. Technoblade takes a second to consider the question. Glancing at Phil, he answers, “I want to stay for awhile. I don’t know if there will be missions where I might need the guild around, so it’s probably best to stay for a bit. If that’s okay with you, of course.” Technoblade gives Wilbur a glance. Humming as a response, Wilbur nods in approval. He doesn’t know much about Technoblade nor Phil. It was impulsive to just agree to join a guild with them. He was supposed to be the voice of reason behind Tommy’s reckless choices. But, for some reason, he had a gut feeling that this is what he would’ve wanted. Sure, gut feelings are not the best thing to trust, but Wilbur can’t change what’s already happened. The past will be the past. 

Tommy slams the front door open, running into the house while a brown-haired boy follows in afterwards. They both walk to Technoblade who is calmly eating his breakfast. Tommy pushes the shorter boy in front him as if he was showcasing him for an audience.  
“Technoblade, this is Tubbo! Tubbo, this is the bitch boy I was talking about.” Tommy introduces the two to each other while Phil and Wilbur hold back the urge to laugh. Technoblade has a priceless expression on his face. This kid had just swore at him right in front of him.  
“Hello, Technoblade! I’m Tubbo. I heard a lot about you! Well, that’s not true: I only heard that you like drinking milk and how Tommy finds that disgusting.” Tubbo rants to himself, receiving a nudge on his shoulder as Tommy shoots him a ‘wtf’ stare. Phil and Wilbur couldn’t hold back any longer as they erupt into laughter: Wilbur bangs at the kitchen table, dying in laughter. Technoblade frowns, his whole mood ruined. He just wanted to drink his milk peacefully, why does Tommy have to make fun of his entire existence?  
“Anyway, now that you guys have met, Technoblade, would you please train us?” Technoblade takes another sip of his milk, acting like he didn’t hear what Tommy had just said. Now it’s Tommy’s turn to frown. The blond boy clasps his hands together, pleading, “Technoblade, I’m sorry for calling you a bitch boy with brittle bones. I didn’t mean it to be offensive. It’s fine if you like milk. You want big bones. I would drink milk but I don’t have brittle bones and it’s okay that you do. We all can’t be me” Tommy’s apology turns into a roast battle midway, causing Phil and Wilbur to burst into fits of laughter once again. The only one who isn’t amused is the so-called “bitch boy with brittle bones”. Technoblade rolls his eyes in annoyance, he won’t accept this milk slander. “Tommy, you are literally built like a bent stick. Nobody wants to be you”, Technoblade retorts back, a smirk tugging at his lips. At his comment, Phil and Wilbur gasps in surprise before cackling at Tommy’s astonished expression.  
“Technoblade-” Tommy pauses, stopping himself from whatever he was about to say. He’s here to ask for a favor. The chances of Technoblade doing him a favor will drastically decrease if he says that Technoblade looks like a pink enderman. “Technoblade, there’s a reason why I want you to train us. Look at this!”Tommy whips out an announcement paper and slams it onto the table, right in front of Technoblade. The paper has an conspicuous title: “The Grand Dueling Tournament”  
Technoblade reads the content of the paper out loud. 

The Grand Dueling Tournament  
Compete for the Reward of 5,000,000 Exp Points on February 28th! 

Requirements to Join:  
-each team must have 4 players  
-each team must be registered under a group name  
-each team must pay 10,000 exp points to enter the tournament 

Applications to join will be accepted starting today on February 1st.  
Hurry! Only the first 100 teams will be allowed to enter. 

“Where did you get these?”, Phil asks, eyebrows furrowed as he finishes reading the poster. It honestly sounds ridiculous. A reward of 5 million exp points? Who is funding this?  
“It’s all over the streets. They’ve hung it everywhere”, Tubbo answers.  
“January 31st? Isn’t that coronation day? Prince George will be crowned as king.” Wilbur notes to himself. Technoblade seems to perk up at the mention of George. He looks over to Phil to check his reaction. Phil also seemed to be taken aback.  
“Prince George? Does he have a friend named Dream?”, Technoblade asks, curiosity lacing his voice. He looks at Wilbur eagerly, waiting for an answer. Nodding, Wilbur confirms his suspicions. Adding on, he informs, “Prince George has two royal guards who follow him around everywhere. If I remember correctly, their names were Dream and Sapnap.” Seeing Technoblade’s reaction, Tommy asks out of curiosity, “Do you know them, Technoblade?” He’s not really expecting any other answer besides ‘no’ because obviously Technoblade doesn’t look like he has a noble background. So, when Technoblade does hum a low ‘yes’, it causes him to freeze for a second.  
With widened eyes, Tubbo interjects, “You do? Surely not. Are you secretly a noble or something? Or are you a spy? Why are you spying on us? We’re just normal citizens.” Tubbo pauses for a second “Unless, you’re spying on us because we are the ones who are secretly nobles or something!”  
Hearing Tubbo’s bizarre theories, Phil helps clarify. “Techno is definitely not a noble, Tubbo. He’s also not a spy either.”  
“Then, how do you know them?” Tommy investigates, staring at Technoblade’s anxious expression. He seems uncomfortable with being put on the spot. Noticing this, Wilbur comes to his rescue. He smacks at the back of Tommy’s head, causing him to double over. “Tommy, don’t be a dickhead. You’re obviously crossing boundaries. If he wants to tell us about it then he will.”  
Rubbing the back of his head, Tommy takes Wilbur’s advice and changes the topic.  
“So, will you train us? We have to be prepared for the tournament” Technoblade makes an unreadable face, downing the last bit of his milk. “I don’t know. You’re kinda annoying, Tommy.” Technoblade snickers, watching as Tommy’s face morphs into an ugly frown.  
“Technoblade, please! I’ll stop making fun of your brittle bones! And I’ll stop calling you bitch boy around Tubbo.”  
Giggling, Technoblade shakes his head in disapproval. “Fine, but let me finish my breakfast.” Tommy gives Tubbo a knowing glance, trying his best to hide his excitement.  
“Speaking of tournaments, have you been in a tournament before?” , Wilbur asks. Technoblade hesitates for a second before admitting, “There was a monster-hunting tournament at my school.” Interested, Tommy joins in. “Did you win it?”  
“Um…” Technoblade stalls, not quite sure what to say. He glances to the side, making eye contact with Phil.  
“Technoblade was disqualified from the competition.” Phil helps Technoblade out. The atmosphere seems to still for a second. Tommy glances at Technoblade who had just finished eating his meal. Tommy wants to ask what Technoblade could’ve done to be disqualified but he doesn’t after thinking of Wilbur’s advice.  
“Alright, you’re done eating right? Let’s fucking go! There’s this place that me and Tubbo always train at.” 

>>>

With a blindfold covering his eyes, Tommy breathes out unevenly. He has his back against Tubbo’s as they listen quietly for any audible sounds. He can hear the wind thrashing against his ear, the running rivers cascading near them; but, he can’t seem to locate where Technoblade is. Until, the sound of crushing leaves enters his ears. He turns towards the direction and pulls back his fist before throwing a decisive punch. Ḧe hits nothing. “Shit” Tommy curses. He’s trying to return back to Tubbo but before he can he feels a jab at the back of his knee. Losing balance, Tommy stumbles onto the ground, head first. He releases an aggravated groan as he tugs at the black cloth blinding his vision.  
“Techno, this is fucking unfair! Why are we blindfolded while you aren’t? You obviously have an advantage over us!” Tommy complains, rubbing his cheeks that had just collided with the ground. Hearing the commotion, Tubbo also takes off his blindfold. “It does feel like we’re just being beat up the whole time.” Agreeing, Tubbo looks down at his own body, glancing at the areas that are most definitely going to form a bruise.  
“Well, the whole point is to raise your awareness of the surroundings. This is how I was taught.” Technoblade offers a hand to Tommy, pulling him off the ground.  
“The way you were taught is straight up bullying. It’s impossible to win! Why don’t you try it? We blindfold you and whoever knocks down the other person first wins!”, Tommy suggests.  
“It’s not about winning or losing, Tommy. You’re supposed to be learning right now.” Technoblade reminds the blond boy. He feels a sense of déjà vu upon saying that sentence. He wonders why.  
“I’ll learn plenty once I win!” At this response, Technoblade huffs out a defeated sigh as he takes out a piece of fabric and ties it around his head, covering his vision.  
“Alright, attack me then”

Smirking, Tommy looks over to Tubbo. They nod at each other, speaking without words. Tommy makes the first move: He dashes straight ahead into Technoblade, not caring about the matter of stealthiness. Tubbo follows right behind. Tommy throws the first punch to which Technoblade dodges by moving a few inches to the side. Tubbo strikes after, attempting to land a hit by kicking at Technoblade’s abdomen. But unfortunately for him, Technoblade grips onto his ankles, causing him to lose his balance. Letting go of Tubbo’s leg, the boy falls flat onto the ground. 

While Technoblade is busy dealing with Tubbo, Tommy manages to sneak behind him. Drawing back his fist, he launches a punch aiming at the back of Technoblade’s head.  
“Tommy” Technoblade abruptly mutters, catching Tommy off guard. He thought he had managed to go unnoticed but he was wrong. Cocking his head to the side, Technoblade evades Tommy’s attacks. He grips onto Tommy’s wrist with his right arm, yanking onto it until Tommy’s body is pulled towards his. Then, he uses his other arm to elbow Tommy’s rib cage. Releasing a grunt, Tommy crumbles onto the ground, holding onto his chest.  
Taking off his blindfold, Technoblade blinks to adjust his vision. He glances at his two disciples who are collapsed on the ground. He sighs heavily before giving feedback.  
“Tubbo, I’ve noticed this earlier too but you tend to let Tommy strike first before attacking yourself. While this could catch someone off guard the first time, if you repeat this every time, the surprise factor isn’t there anymore.” Strolling over to Tubbo, he offers a golden apple. “So, you should shake things up a bit. Humans can see through patterns very quickly, Tubbo. Try to surprise me.” Nodding in acknowledgement, Tubbo accepts the golden apple with a small smile. 

Technoblade then walks over to Tommy. The boy has prostrated himself onto the ground with his eyes closed. He seems drained. “And you Tommy, you’re too predictable. You only attack with punches and you’re aiming at the same area. Be more flexible. Don’t just attack me without thinking about it. I know being reckless can make you unpredictable; but, in this case, it just makes you clumsy.” Critiquing, Technoblade crouches down to the blond boy plastered on the ground. He places a golden apple onto Tommy’s heaving stomach. 

“Alright, that’s enough for today.” Technoblade dismisses to which Tommy adamantly protests, “It’s only been a few hours. We can go for a while longer!” He’s gotten up from his reclining position. With fierce and stubborn eyes, he stares at Technoblade’s back. The man has his hair tied up in a long ponytail. Tommy watches as the long locks flow with the wind.  
“You guys are tired. It’s important to not overwork yourselves. It would be counterproductive.” Technoblade lectures, picking up his red mantle that he’s placed aside. He drapes it around his shoulders. “No need to rush. There’s plenty of time to practice.”  
“Then, tomorrow.” Tommy stares into Technoblade’s eyes. “We’ll practice tomorrow.” It comes off more as a command than anything. Heaving out a sigh, Technoblade nods, agreeing.  
“Sure, tomorrow it is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRAINING ARC YESSSSSSS
> 
> bro I made the announcement paper for the tournament so cool in google docs, but ao3 is just destroying all of my dreams. 
> 
> IT LOOKS SO LAME HERE NOOOOOO.
> 
> anyway, hopefully I’ll be able to post tomorrow. If I don’t, assume I died.


	7. Being Annoying Works

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> helloooooooooooooooooooooo I am dying.
> 
> But it’s okay because I finished writing this chapter!

[February 15th]

The sound of clashing swords reverberates throughout the spacious courtyard. The two swordsmen are engaging in an intense battle. Bathing in the beaming sunlight, beads of sweat start to form on their foreheads. Stepping a few steps back, Dream backs off from his opponent. He seems to be waiting for the latter to let go of his shield.   
“What’s wrong, Dream? Why did you back off?” George has a teasing smirk on his face. He’s aware that as long as he has his shields up, Dream wouldn’t risk attacking him. That’s just how Dream fights: Unless he’s certain he can strike a hit, he won’t attack. This principle is especially true in the situation right now where George has an advantage because he has a shield while Dream doesn’t.   
“George, stop stalling” Dream grinds at his teeth, patience running out. He regrets giving George an upperhand. He sometimes forgets that George’s image as an austere ruler is just a hoax. In reality, he’s really just a goofy kid who happened to be born into royalty.   
“Stop playing around and attack me, George!” He seems to grow more and more irritated as the seconds pass. George isn’t even focused on the battle anymore. He’s committed to pissing off his friend.   
“Why don’t you attack me first? Are you scared, Dream?” George taunts, grinning eye-to-eye. He knows he’s being childish right now; but, this is one of the rare occasions where he can feel like he has the edge over Dream. He wants to delay this battle as long as he can because the winner was determined even before the battle started.

Huffing out a short breath, Dream has a smirk on his face as he draws closer to George. He’s not running at him to catch him off guard, he’s merely walking towards him with his signature green sword in his hand. Baffled, George gets his head back into the duel. He doesn’t know what trick Dream intends on using. Why is he just walking towards him? What is he planning? 

Hiding behind his shield, George narrows his eyes, observing Dream’s every movement. He doesn’t understand it. Normally, Dream would never be so reckless as to attack when George obviously is being on the defensive side. He watches as Dream’s grin widens. It’s rather a disturbing image to look at. He isn’t saying anything either. He’s just walking towards him.   
“Dream, what are you doing? Are you throwing?” George backs up a few steps. His eyes stare at Dream’s hand wielding the sword. He’s never seen Dream do anything like this. He’s intensely staring at the weapon in Dream’s hand, trying to predict his next move. Dream holds up the sword before him while George’s eyes follow the weapon. George is waiting for something to happen. He’s trying to prepare himself for an attack. 

Dream’s sword clangs onto the ground, the sound interrupting the silence. George had just watched Dream throw his sword onto the ground. He is more than confused. He’s about to question the latter’s decision but before he can, he feels a kick at his stomach.   
He’s lowered his shield! George didn’t even realize he had left himself wide open since he was so focused on Dream’s sword. Taking a powerful blow, George falls onto the ground. Disoriented, he lets go of his sword. Dream’s kicks are something else: He feels like his organs are being crushed.   
“Dream! Did you have to kick that hard?” George grips onto his stomach, groaning in pain. He’s forgotten about the battle. He was going to lose one way or the other. He’ll rather accept the lost now then persist just to be beaten longer. Dream crouches down next to him, a small pitying smile on his lips. “Here, your majesty.” Dream offers a regeneration potion, apologizing for using too much force. He must’ve gotten worked up too much. He’s never used that trick before.   
In fact, it isn’t even his trick to begin with. 

At this moment, the courtyard’s doors open, revealing two new arrivals. Sapnap and Badboyhalo enter, a flabbergasted expression on both of their faces as they look at the scene before them. George is lying on the ground, his limbs spread like a starfish. Meanwhile, Dream is crouching right next to his body, poking at George’s cheeks.   
“What did we just walk into?”Sapnap asks, judgmentally looking at his friends. Badboyhalo giggles, covering his smile behind his hand. He’s holding a long list in his hand as he approaches Dream.   
“There’s been 100 teams that have applied. We have the list of participants here.” Badboyhalo  
presents the long list of names. Getting up from the ground, George takes a peak of the list.   
“That was fast. It’s only been two weeks. I guess everyone’s excited for the event.” George comments, glossing over the names of the participants. Sapnap nods in agreement.   
“When there’s 5 millions exp points on the line, I feel like I would be running to compete too.”   
“By the way, Dream, that was really smart to charge a fee to join the tournament. Even if we did lose, at least we’ve got 1 million exp points back from charging each team 10,000 exp points. And since we’re also selling tickets for those who want to watch the tournament, we might even earn more exp points than what we spent.” Sapnap compliments his friend, looking over to Dream to see his reaction. He expects Dream to mention how much of a genius he is; but, instead, Dream has completely ignored his compliment as he intensely eyes the list of participants. It seems like he’s looking for someone.   
“Are you looking for someone?” Badboyhalo notices Dream’s strange behavior as well.  
“You good, Dream?” Sapnap taps on Dream’s shoulder, finally getting a reaction from him.   
“What?”  
“Who are you looking for?” Dream doesn’t answer Sapnap’s question. Instead, he hands back the list to Badboyhalo.   
“Kick one of the teams out and leave that slot open. Keep accepting applications and check back with me.” At this order, Badboyhalo seems to hesitate for a bit. Dream is being unreasonable. They’ve already had enough teams for the tournament. It makes no sense to suddenly kick one of the teams out. Plus, in the announcement paper, they proclaimed that they’ll be accepting the first 100 teams. But, Dream is trying to selectively choose who participates.   
“Dream, isn’t this unfair to those who have already applied?” Badboyhalo doesn’t like wronging people. What he’s just been told to do sounds like a scam.   
“Just do as I say, Bad.” Dream pauses, a determined look in his eyes.   
“He has to join. Otherwise, there was no point of me doing all of this.”

>>>

“For the last time, Tommy, I don’t want to be in the tournament” Technoblade sighs for the hundredth time that day. Tommy has been annoying him (more than usual) about joining the tournament before it’s too late. Honestly, he hopes it is too late because at least then Tommy wouldn’t be bothering him about it everyday.   
“Technoblade, I thought we were a guild! You’ve trained me for these past two weeks, don’t you want to see how much I’ve improved?” Tommy dramatically pleads, being the loud, annoying child that he is. Technoblade nods, saying, “Tommy, I can watch you fight from the audience. It’s not that big of a deal.”  
“No, you have to be up close, Techno! I know you can’t see and shit. How will you see how awesome and cool I look if you’re not right beside me??” Tommy bangs at the table, exaggerating.   
At the loud noise, Niki strolls over with hands on her hips.  
She reprimands, “Tommy, you’re making a ruckus in my shop.” She brings over the ordered items, handing Technoblade his cup of milk and Wilbur his seventh bag of peanuts that week.  
“Tommy, don’t be so annoying. Technoblade doesn’t want to join so accept his decision.” Wilbur helps out Technoblade, smiling as he watches Technoblade look up at him with grateful eyes.   
Tommy sneers at Wilbur, pointing an accusative finger at his face, “You’re the one who said that if I pester him enough, he’ll eventually give in! Don’t act like you’re not a part of this!” Wilbur averts his gaze away, ignoring Tommy. He might’ve been the one to encourage Tommy’s behavior but Tommy didn’t have to mention it out loud. 

Niki laughs at the banter between Wilbur and Tommy. Those two really do seem like brothers. She grabs a nearby chair, scooting it closer to their table as she joins the conversation. The boys have been stopping by everyday after training, so Niki has gotten to hang out with them more often. 

Technoblade has gotten to know Niki a bit better after visiting this shop so often. She’s a kind and humble person. So, if he had to put it in perspective, she was polar opposites with the gremlin screeching in his ear at the moment.   
“Tommy, you already have enough people to join the tournament. You, Wilbur, Phil, and Tubbo can join. I’ll be there in the audience to support you guys.” Technoblade tries to reason.  
“No, Techno! Tubbo isn’t joining the tournament with me! Tubbo is on Niki’s team!” Technoblade looks over to Niki with a skeptical expression. Niki smiles, nodding to confirm Tommy’s statement.  
“Yeah, Tubbo is on my team. I’m going to be joining the tournament too with Tubbo, Karl, and Ranboo.” She says with a sense of pride. She’s happy she can fight alongside her friends. Tommy shakes his head in displeasure.   
“Niki has two teammates from Manberg!” Tommy fakes a gag, repulsed by the mere mention of Manberg.  
“You’re friends with Karl and boob guy?? What about us, Niki? Why didn’t you ask us to join your team?” Wilbur teases, faking a hurt expression.   
“Oh, I´m sorry. I thought I would weigh the team down.” Niki explains, slightly embarrassed. Wilbur makes a small ‘aww’ sound.   
“Don’t worry, Niki, I would’ve taken anyone except for Tommy.” Technoblade tries to cheer her up, insulting Tommy in the process. “Thank you, Techno”  
“So, when is Karl and this boob guy coming to L’Manberg?” Wilbur asks Niki. He’s never met these people but he’s pretty sure the boob guy is right beneath him on the leaderboard.   
“His name is Ranboo, Wilbur. I messaged him recently and he said that he and Karl should be arriving in L’Manberg on the 18th. So, three more days until I see them.” Niki explains, her voice unable to hide her excitement.   
“Yeah, we get it, Niki. You want to see your Manberg friends. Guess we’re not good enough.” Wilbur teases her again, finding it funny that Niki always goes to argue that she loves all her friends equally. She’s really too nice for her own good. 

Tommy looks over to Technoblade, seeing that he’s spacing out, Tommy jokes,   
“Technoblade, what are you thinking about? Is it girls?” Tommy’s voice pulls him out of his trance. Technoblade rolls his eyes, shaking his head.   
“I was thinking about Phil. He’s been gone all day. He said he needed to complete a mission but I’m just kinda worried. I tried to reach him through the Friendship Emerald but he didn’t pick up.” Technoblade fidgets at his fingers. Phil wouldn’t disclose what kind of mission it was either. Phil has always told him everything. A small part of him feels like he is overthinking, but the voices keep telling him Phil is in danger. Hopefully, the voices are wrong. 

“He’s probably fine, Techno. He’s a strong and capable man. If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t be in second place on the leaderboard. Have some trust in him.” Wilbur reassures the distressed latter. He knows that Phil leaving so abruptly must’ve scared Technoblade a bit. But, he’s certain that Phil can take care of himself.   
“Technoblade, Phil would probably be okay if you joined the tournament.” Tommy brings up the subject again, persistent.  
“Tommy, I would but I already told you I can’t. I need to keep a low profile.” Technoblade explains once again. He feels like he’s been repeating himself all day. Tommy groans in irritation, flailing his limbs as he throws a tantrum. Niki watches as Tommy bangs at her shop’s table. She contemplates for a bit before an idea pops up in her head. Jumping in her seat, she grabs their attention.   
“Tubbo! He’s 10th on the leaderboard, right? Doesn’t he have the ability to change people’s faces or something?”, Niki suggests, looking at Tommy. Gasping, Tommy realizes what Niki is trying to say.   
“Niki, you’re right! You’re a genius, Niki! Tubbo has the ability to change people’s identities. So, if we ask Tubbo to change Technoblade into someone else, he’ll be able to participate in the event as a completely different person!” Tommy exclaims, looking at Technoblade with eyes sparkling with hope. Wilbur laughs at the scene before him. Technoblade is trying his best to avoid Tommy’s eyes that’s staring straight at him. Since Technoblade has no other excuse to not join the tournament, he’s been forced into the corner.   
“Technoblade? Will you join the tournament now??” Tommy is trying to suppress a smile from crawling on his face. Meanwhile, Technoblade sighs for the thousandth time that day. He feels like everything always goes in Tommy’s favor. With a defeated smile on his lips, he finally gives in.  
“Fine, I’ll join the tournament.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> where is Philza Minecraft??? Where he???
> 
> Dream’s little trick is inspired by a character from a show. I wanna see if anyone knows who it is. 
> 
> anyway, i don’t know if I can post tomorrow but I’ll try to post soon.


	8. The Tournament!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helloooooo guys, I’m here with some bad news: I am a dumbass. Some new readers might’ve not seen it, but I freaking set the tournament to be on February 31st. 
> 
> THERE’S ONLY 28 DAYS IN FEBRUARY I HATE IT HERE WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME.
> 
> anyway, enough of me being dumb. Tournament time????

[February 20th]

A knocks sounds at his door, the sound interrupting his reading of The Art of War by Sun Tzu. Dream places a small leaf in between the pages, marking his place before closing the book and setting it aside.  
“Come in” At Dream’s approval, Badboyhalo enters. He gives Dream a greeting with a small nod.  
“Reading? You hate reading.” Badboyhalo remarks, strolling towards Dream’s table. He places a long list before Dream.  
“Here are the rest of the applications.” Dream picks up the paper, squinting as his eyes scan the list from top to bottom. Waiting in silence, Badboyhalo stares at his friend with a worried expression. Dream has been acting strange lately. Ever since their conversation in the courtyard, Dream insists that he brings him new applications for the tournament at the end of the day. It’s almost like he’s obsessed with the event.

Seeing that Dream had finished scanning the list, Badboyhalo watches as his friend throws the list onto the table. Looks like whoever he’s expecting still hasn’t joined the tournament. Badboyhalo heaves out a weary sigh.  
“Dream, we have to confirm the teams. The participants need to know whether their applications were approved or not. We can’t keep waiting around like this.” Badboyhalo explains to his friend. There’s 8 more days until the tournament and they haven’t even informed the participants of important details. 

Dream nods. He seems a bit down as he offers a small smile, saying, “Yeah, we should probably stop accepting applications and confirm with those who are participating.”  
“Then, since we still have one slot left, which team should get it?” Badboyhalo is about to propose that the team who was kicked out get the last slot but Dream answers before he can.  
“Give it to Tommy’s team.” Dream looks at their team's name, Sleepy Bois. He pulls up the system’s leaderboard. These people are all top tier players: Phil is in 2nd place with a total of 8.1 million exp points; Tommy is in 5th place with 2.2 million exp points; and, Wilbur is in 8th place with 1.9 million exp points. Three out of four players of the team are on the leaderboard top 10. 

“So, who the hell is Joe?”, Dream mutters to himself. Joe is the most average name there is. This Joe isn’t on the leaderboard either. Knowing Tommy’s personality, the chances of him inviting someone so average onto their team is unlikely.  
“Joe? Dream, you’re going to have to be more specific.”  
“Look at this team. There’s three prominent players and then there’s just some dude named Joe. Doesn’t that seem suspicious to you?”Badboyhalo doesn’t seem to get what Dream is so skeptical about. He shakes his head, giving Dream a weird look.  
At the response, Dream dismisses, “Nevermind, maybe I’m overthinking it.” 

[February 28th, the day of the tournament]

“Guys, please I know I look weird. Stop staring at me like that.” Technoblade or as the name tag displays, Joe, hides behind his hands. He doesn’t know why but he feels embarrassed being seen with another..face. Tommy and Wilbur approach him, an awestruck expression on their faces. Tommy is trying to remove his hands from covering his face.  
“Don’t be shy, Joe!” Tommy emphasizes the name, an almost mocking tone lacing his voice.  
“Yeah, Joe, let us see your beautiful face.” Wilbur joins Tommy in taunting him. Even though he can’t see them through his palms, he knows for sure they are laughing at him.  
“Don’t say something so weird, Wilbur.” Technoblade peaks between his fingers, looking over to see Phil smiling at him. Even Phil is finding this amusing. This is the worst.  
“Alright! There!” Technoblade releases his hands from his face, averting his gaze as his friends stare at him with curious eyes. He doesn’t think he looks ugly or anything. He thinks he looks like your average Joe. With brown hair only long enough to rest on his shoulders, Technoblade does find it slightly strange to have such short hair. He grabs the ends of his nappy hair. Looks like this Joe guy didn’t take care of his hair often. 

Technoblade looks back at the boys who are still staring him down.  
“How do I look?” Awkwardly smiling, Technoblade fidgets with his finger as he waits for an answer.  
“You look like every other white dude, which is good if you want to blend in. But, your outfit has you written all over it”, Wilbur comments, glancing at the red mantle wrapped over the latter’s shoulder. He feels Tommy tug at his sleeves.  
“Wilbur, you remember what we discussed last night?” Tommy has a lopsided grin on his lips. They both glance back at Technoblade, mischievously giggling.  
“Joe, follow me.”

Unaware of the brothers’ plans, Technoblade follows Wilbur into his room. Inside, there’s a wood oak closet. Wilbur opens it to reveal a variety of clothing. Technoblade finally understands the situation. Shaking his head, he’s about to refuse the offer. 

Waiting in the living room, Tubbo and Phil hears ambiguous sounds coming from Wilbur’s room. They both give each other a confused look.  
“Wilbur, you’re pulling onto my hair too hard!” They hear Technoblade’s protests.  
“Don’t worry, we’re just helping you bald faster!” Tommy’s voice follows, causing Tubbo to burst into laughter. He has no idea what’s happening in there but he wishes Technoblade a peaceful death.  
“Tommy, why are you cutting at my pants??”  
“It’s to let your knees breathe and it’ll look cool! Don’t you know a thing or two about fashion, Joe?”

Phil and Tubbo laugh at Technoblade’s demise. The man sounds like he’s being tortured alive, complaining about how weird the clothing modifications are. After a while though, Technoblade’s protests eventually come to an end. Wilbur opens his door, exiting with a proud look. Tommy exits the room behind him. They give each other a high-five, seemingly satisfied with their work. 

Technoblade finally comes out. He’s wearing a white blouse that’s embroidered with crimson crystals at the end of his sleeves. To contrast the light top, he’s wearing a pair of tight pants that has some freshly cut rips at his knees. And to top it all off, his brown hair has been tied up into a man bun. Technoblade purses his lips. He doesn’t want to admit it but the two brothers did a good job: There’s no trace that it’s him. 

“You look good, Joe.” Tubbo nods his head in approval, displaying a thumbs up. It’s a change from Technoblae’s monochromatic wardrobe that’s exclusively red.  
“Hell yeah! He looks like someone with a sense of style.” Technoblade feels as if that might’ve been a personal insult towards him but he lets it slide. They should be leaving soon or else they’ll be late.  
“Phil, do you have the letter?” Phil nods, pulling out a piece of paper. He unfolds it, scanning through the texts. It’s a letter sent from the royal castle. There’s a burgundy stamp of a crown in the top corner of the paper. The crown is an emblem that’s used to represent the royal family.  
“It says that the crowning of King George takes place from 6:00 AM to 9:00 AM. The Grand Tournament starts at 10:00 AM and lasts until 6:00 PM. Then, the rest of the day will be celebrations and festivities.” Phil reads the contents of the letter out loud.  
“Oh, fuck. We need to run, it’s already 9:25!” Phil hastily checks through his inventory, making sure he’s gotten everything he needs. Tubbo scrambles out before them. He’s got to group back with his teammates. He’s about to leave as he waves goodbye but he stops in his tracks.

“Joe! Remember my ability’s limitations! If anyone recognizes you by calling you by your real name, my ability’s effect will wear off.” Tubbo says as a reminder. “Good luck, guys!”

>>>

Running past the booming streets, the boys push their ways through the crowd. It’s more busy than usual. With festival decorations decorated all over the town, everybody seems to be excited for today’s events. Phil runs ahead of them, leading the way with the help of a map.  
“The arena should be over this right corner.” Phil points towards a direction. They take a turn as the tournament’s arena comes into view. There’s a high stone wall towering over them. With spiked fences placed at the top, it seems like it’ll be impossible to climb over. They gasp in awe at the sight. At the front of the entrance, they see a group of guards who are all equipped with diamond enchanted weapons. With one good look at them, you could easily tell the guards were brawny under the glimmering armor. 

“What the actual fawk?” Tommy wants to laugh. The security of this tournament is slightly concerning. He understands that since King George will be in the tournament, security would be slightly tighter but this just seems like a prison.  
“Isn’t this a welcoming sight. Alright, are we ready to go?” Phil smiles. He takes out the letter from the royal castle, gripping onto it tightly as he and the boys approach the guards. Without a word, the guards glances at the piece of paper in Phil’s hand. Noticing the royal family’s emblem printed at the top of the letter, they step aside to make way for them. 

The boys walk inside, eyes roaming around the gigantic place. The arena is in the center of it all: It’s a rectangular wooden platform, taking nearly all of the space in the area. Encompassing the arena are rows and rows of seats, occupied by those who came as an audience. By the looks of it, there’s around 2000 seats. Tommy stares at the clustered audience. He’s never even seen this many people in the town.

“I’m going to be fucking famous! We’re about to be written in history books and shit!” Tommy exclaims. Most people would feel pressured to perform better under so many eyes but Tommy doesn’t feel pressured at all. He just feels motivated by the possible fame he can get.  
“I’m going to be so famous that the ladies will see me and go: Wow, is that the super famous guy who is awesome??” Tommy starts rambling to the boys. Wilbur snickers at him, tousling his hair.  
“We can only become famous if we win. So, let’s fucking win this and become so famous and wealthy King George will have to ask us to host the next event.” Wilbur wraps his hands around the boys’ shoulders, a grin plastered on his face. He’s confident that they have a chance.  
So, he wants to give it his all. 

“Welcome ladies and gentlemen to The Grand Tournament!” A woman’s voice reverberates throughout the room, catching everyone’s attention as the place eventually quiets down. She’s standing in the arena, speaking into a pink device she’s holding. The device picks up her voice and echos it throughout the place.  
“As it is 10:00 AM sharp, we will be starting the event! Are you guys ready?” She hypes up the crowd, aiming her pink device towards the audience as a cue for them to make some noise. The crowd roars with cheers, even startling her a bit. She laughs a bit before continuing.  
“Alright, sounds good! Now, will the teams participating settle themselves on the first rows of each side.” She gestures towards the long row of chairs on the left and right of the room. Complying, the boys climb the stairs to reach their appointed seats. Sitting down, they look down at the arena below them: It seems to be even larger than they imagined. 

“Now, pay attention! I will be explaining the rules of the tournament! If you violate them, you’re disqualified.” She states as a matter of fact, a sudden sternness in her voice. 

“- During each round, each team will send one of their players to have a 1v1 duel. Choose carefully because each player will only be able to be sent out once. 

-There are three ways to win the duel:  
By lowering your opponent’s HP to 10.  
By forcing the opponent to surrender.  
By forcing the opponent to fall off the arena’s platform.

-A player winning a duel will contribute one point to their team. There will be a total of four rounds, meaning a team can rack up to 4 points. After the four rounds, the team with more points wins. They will move onto the next stage, while the losing team will be eliminated.”

“Now, are you ready for the first battle?” The audience cheers excitedly, the sound causing Technoblade’s ears to ring. He looks around at the teams surrounding them, trying to see if he sees any familiar faces. He scans through the place before noticing someone. On a small elevated platform above the arena and distanced from the audience, he sees Dream with his usual smiling mask. He seems to be talking to someone as he points at the arena below them. Sapnap is by his side, smiling at something he’d said. Equipped with extravagant armor and top-tier weapons, they seem to be guarding someone he can’t quite make out. 

“The first 2 teams who will be battling today are the Cool Kids versus the White Men!!  
In the Cool Kids team, we have the following players: Tubbo, Ranboo, Niki, and Karl!  
Meanwhile, the White Men team has Chad, Joshua, Mathew, and Jared!” At the introduction, the audience starts an ovation.  
“Oh gosh, who should go first? Who should we send out?” Tubbo panics, walking back and forths in the small room. They’ve been taken to a backstage room that leads them to right underneath the arena. They can hear the audience cheering above them.  
“Tubbo, it’s alright don’t stress. It sucks that we are the first teams to go today but we got this!” Karl tries to calm the boy down, patting his back in reassurance.  
“Should I go?”Ranboo asks, getting ready to step onto a redstone block. They were told that whoever is going to duel in the first round should step onto this redstone block and press the red button and they’ll be sent to the arena above them.  
“No, no, no. Ranboo, you are the strongest among us here. We should wait and have you as a wild card.” Tubbo reasons. He contemplates for a while longer before finally deciding.  
“I’ll go!” Tubbo announces, waiting to see if there’s any objections. Seeing as how they all have unanimously agreed, Tubbo steps onto the red block placed in the corner.  
“You got this, Tubbo!”  
“You’ll crush em! No stress!” Tubbo smiles at them, nodding. He takes a quick breath before pushing the red button. He hears a horn sound above him, seemingly signalling the start of the duel.

“Alright! For the first round of The Grand Tournament, we have Tubbo versus Jared!!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAHHAHAHA THE TEAM NAMES  
> WHITE MEN VERSUS COOL KIDS 
> 
> I didn’t know how to explain the tournament’s rules well.  
> Did it make sense? I hope it did.
> 
> Anyway, TOURNAMENT ARC LETS GOOOOOOOOO IM SO EXCITED


	9. Respect Women

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> umm hellooooooo look who's back. 
> 
> bro I disappeared for a hot minute and I'm sorry but like I was dying man. Like this isn't even an exaggeration (except that it is) Some may say it was just me being busy with school, but I say that I was suffering from endless pain. 
> 
> And I always tell the truth, so believe me I was actually dying. 
> 
> Anyhow, enough about me, tournament time???? Will the white men defeat the cool kids??? Or will the cool kids be too cool to lose?? idk I'm trying to hype y'all up but I can't take the names seriously. Okay, whatever, here are the fights~

Tubbo feels the platform shake beneath him. There’s a noise of metal clashing against each other before the redstone block he’s standing on starts to rise. He waves goodbye to his friends, offering a nervous smile. He looks above him, seeing the light shone on the arena. The cheers and whistles of the audience enters his ears. He emerges from below, looking around at the hundreds of eyes staring down at him. Looking in front of him, he can see his opponent. The man is at least three times his size. With robust biceps and a rock hard chest, Jared has so much muscle on him it’s almost disturbing to look at. 

“Round 1: Tubbo versus Jared! 3...2...1 Fight!”

“Well, hello there” Tubbo tries to introduce himself but he doesn’t get the chance before Jared is charging at him at full speed. With every step of Jared’s shaking the whole arena, Tubbo feels as if he wouldn’t survive if he were to be caught. Running away, Tubbo tries to come up with a plan. There is no way in hell Tubbo could win a battle of strength. So, what can he do? 

“Hey, can’t we have a civil swordfight?” Tubbo dodges Jared’s hand reaching out to grab him. The size of his hand is the size of Tubbo’s torso. One squeeze and Tubbo would be out. Tubbo dashes away, trying to distance himself from Jared. It seems like they won’t be having a civilized fight. Jared doesn’t seem to think much in his attacks: He simply charges at someone and overwhelms them with his superior strength. 

Tubbo stops in his tracks, no longer running away. He stands at the edge of the arena, wielding an iron sword before him. With determined eyes, he watches as Jared dashes at him at an alarming speed. Tubbo grips onto his sword tighter, waiting patiently until Jared is close. He waits for a second: Jared is 10 feet away. He waits for another second: Jared is 5 feet away, reaching his bulky arms out to reach for Tubbo’s head. Tubbo grins as he flips over to the side, successfully avoiding Jared’s grasp. Tubbo watches as Jared’s expression morphs into a frown, realizing his situation. With too much momentum, Jared fails to stop himself from falling off the arena. As he collides with the floor, the room seems to echo a ‘thump’. 

“Jared has fallen out of the arena!! Tubbo has won the first round! The Cool Kids team now has 1 point!” The lady announces, her voice booming with excitement. The crowd applauds, acknowledging Tubbo’s clever play. Jared didn’t seem calculated at all. All of his attacks seem to have been on a whim. When Tubbo had set himself on the edge of the arena, he knew Jared would simply sprint at him without a second thought. So, since Jared was so predictable, Tubbo managed to trick him into falling off the stage. 

In the crowd, Tommy has jumped out of his chair, shouting at the top of his lungs,   
“Tubbo fucking outplayed him! He’s such a big man!!!” Tommy looks over to Technoblade, catching a glimpse of a smile on the latter’s face.  
“Tubbo did so fucking good. Did you see that??” Tommy goes back to his seat, a grin on his face.   
“He did good.” Technoblade acknowledges, nodding.   
“I’m going to do fucking great too!” Tommy exclaims. It sounds like he’s all pumped up now. He can’t wait until it’s his turn. 

Tubbo returns to the redstone block on the arena, waiting as it lowers him back down.   
“Alright, you know the drill: Pick another player to send out for a duel! This is the second round!”  
He hears the lady announce as the platform brings him back below the arena. He sees his friends lighten up upon his return. Karl runs over to ruffle his hair, showering him with praises.   
“Tubbo, you destroyed it, dude!” Karl wraps his arms around Tubbo’s shoulders, giving him a side hug in the process.   
“I mean I didn’t really fight him though. I just tricked him into falling off.” Tubbo rubs his head nervously. He would’ve definitely lost if it was a regular battle outside of the tournament.   
“Tubbo, don’t say that. You’re strong as well. Didn’t you get someone to train you?” Ranboo tries to console his friend. He doesn’t want his friends losing hope in themselves.   
“Yeah, he’s actually here too.” Tubbo scratches his temple. Technoblade must’ve seen his duel. He wonders if he’s proud of him.   
“We need to send someone new. Can I go?” Karl volunteers, smiling.   
“Uh sure, why not?” Ranboo nods in agreement. They all give Karl a nod before he steps onto the redstone block. He waves his friends goodbye, smashing the red button as a horn roars in his ear.

“Alright!! Looks like we got the lineup!! Round 2: Joshua versus Karl!!!”

Karl looks around upon being lifted into the arena. He makes eye contact with Joshua. The man is quite tall, standing around what looks to be around 6’8 foot tall. Towering over him, Karl has to tilt his head back to look up at Joshua. 

“3...2...1! The second round has begun!”

Karl offers a friendly wave, smiling. Joshua snickers as a response, huffing out a sarcastic laugh.  
“Is your team full of losers? Why are you guys all the size of children?” Joshua sneers, glaring down at Karl from 10 foot away. He’s walking slowly towards Karl as if he’s not in much of a rush.   
“Full of losers? Last time I checked, your team was the one that lost.” Karl retorts back. He won’t bother being friendly if the treatment isn’t reciprocated.  
“Well, that was just Jared being stupid. He’s really just all brawn and no brain. But, the scores will be equal after this. Don’t worry about it.” Joshua takes out an axe, brandishing it before him. It’s a golden ax, glistening under the sunlight. 

Karl brings out a lasso rope as his weapon, stunning both Joshua and the audience. Karl had really brought a rope as his combat weapon. If it was a battle between a rope and an axe, there would be a clear winner. 

“Why did you take out a fucking rope?Are you mocking me? ” Joshua grinds his teeth, seething. He seems to feel like he’s being made fun of. Karl stays silent, not offering Joshua an answer to his question. He’s tied a lasso rope, jumping up and down in his spot. Seeing this, Joshua feels as if he’s being taunted so he starts chasing Karl. Caught off guard, Karl starts running. This seems to be a lot like Tubbo’s fight now that he thinks about it. 

“Wait!! I need some more time!” Karl exclaims, running around the arena in circles as Joshua chases him down with an axe. Seeing this before, the audience boos. They paid for a show of riveting fighting, not for a show of tag. 

Karl turns around, glancing back at Joshua to see how far their distance is. Abruptly, he notices something in the sky. With a startled expression, Karl stops running to point at the sky. Joshua turns around to follow Karl’s finger. Taking advantage of Joshua’s distraction, Karl throws the lasso rope over Joshua’s head, letting it slide down to Joshua’s chest before yanking the rope tight. Karl jumps up happily, successfully tying up his opponent. He doesn’t have much combat experience but he knows a few tricks up his sleeves.

“You fucking cheated.” Joshua accuses, trying to wiggle himself free from the rope tied around his body. Karl shrugs as a response. He’s never been much of a fighter. But, he had plenty of experience in the arts of pranking so he decided to bring out his strong suits. 

“None of the rules told me I couldn’t point at the sky and act surprised.” Karl giggles, enjoying the way Joshua seems to gradually turn red from anger. His ego must be so bruised. With all that smack talk earlier, he must’ve been so confident he would’ve won. 

“Well, it’s time for you to surrender.” Karl grips onto the rope, gradually tightening as a threat. Joshua is glaring at him with eyes full of hatred. He seems to be filled with too much pride to give up. Karl rolls his eyes. He approaches Joshua, gripping onto his lasso rope. He picks up Joshua’s axe that he’s dropped, observing it with a blank expression.

“I don’t really have a keen eye for good weapons, but I’ll know how good it is if I try it out.” Karl grins, his smile never quite reaching his eyes. Joshua swallows dryly. Karl has hovered the axe towards Joshua’s face, leaving it centimeters away from coming into contact.   
“Surrender please?” Despite Karl’s innocent voice, he’s casually threatening him with an axe in hand. Beads of sweat start to trail down Joshua’s head. He’s exerting all of his strength into breaking free from this rope to no avail. This rope seems to be made out of metal or something. He just can’t seem to break free.

Seeing as how Joshua still hasn’t surrendered, Karl sighs. He brings back the axe to the back of his head before swinging it towards Joshua’s face. Wincing with eyes closed, Joshua waits for his demise. He waits for a few seconds yet the pain still doesn’t come. Peaking his eyes open, he can see the axe right before him. The only thing stopping the axe from falling onto his face and cutting him is Karl holding onto it. 

“Last chance”, Karl sings. Joshua glances at Karl’s smiling expression and glances back at the axe right between his eyes.   
“I forfeit the fight.”

“Joshua has surrendered! Karl has won the second round! The scores are 2-0! The Cool Kids have won both of the rounds! The White Men team must win the next round or else the Cool Kids would’ve won 3 out of 4 rounds, allowing them to move to the next stage as there is no possible way for the White Men team to win!”

Karl goes back to the room below the arena. His friends cheer him on, giving him compliments on his performance.  
“We can win if we win the next round!” Tubbo shouts, excited. He’s jumping up and down in his seat, happy that the scores are in their favor. 

“So, who should go? Niki or Ranboo?” Karl glances between the two players. Ranboo is definitely their secret weapon. He has an ability that the rest of the team considers to be very powerful. Ranboo doesn’t go around flaunting the ability either so not many people know of it. If they send out Ranboo, it’ll be an almost definite win. However, on the other hand, Karl really wants to see Niki fight. Niki is usually a mannered and kind person so he wants to see what Niki is like in a fight. Karl is about to volunteer Niki but she beats him to it.

“I’ll go.” Niki decides. She looks over to Ranboo who smiles at her as a response.   
“Yeah, Niki, woohoo!” Karl chants, hyping her up. Tubbo joins in, applauding as she walks over to the redstone block. She waves them goodbye, saying, “I’ll win! I promise!” Her voice is immediately muffled by a horn, signalling the start of the duel. 

“For round 3, we have Niki versus Chad!!”

Niki heaves out a slow breath, trying to regain her composure. She pulls out a small string, tying it around her hair as she pulls her hair into a high ponytail. 

“They sent out a girl? They must have really wanted to lose.” Chad remarks, a devious grin on his asymmetrical face. Hearing this, Niki can’t help but release a low scoff. She usually doesn’t like fighting, but since her opponent is a misogynist, she doesn’t intend to hold back. 

“Your team has lost both rounds. Why are you so cocky?” Niki asks. She pulls out her dual wielding daggers. Tinted pink, the weapons glimmer under the sun. With determined eyes and a polite smile, Niki starts approaching Chad.

“You think you scare me? You won’t even be able to land a hit.” Chad mocks, backing up a few steps as he whips out a glowing crossbow. He reloads the crossbow, aiming it straight at Niki’s head as he shoots. Barely dodging, the crossbow grazes against her cheek. She goes to touch the injury, blood covering her hand. She’s about to brush off the injury but she feels her feet grow tired. Her body suddenly is filled with lethargy. She doubles over, feeling a pang in her head. With a blurry vision, her mind seems to be all muddled up from dizziness. 

She looks up to glance at Chad, finding the latter mischievously smirking. That was a poison arrow, Niki deduces. It only grazed her cheek but the poison managed to seep into her bloodstream. Looks like the effects are dizziness and lethargy. 

“What? Don’t look at me like that. Aren’t you going to come over and stab me with your girly knives?” Chad taunts, laughing at the way Niki seems to struggle to stand up straight. He’s not even taking her seriously at this point. It seems like he’s just toying with her.

Niki inhales a deep breath, trying to clear her head. She forces herself to stand up straight, getting her head back into battle. The effects, although very detrimental, don’t seem to last very long. If she calculated correctly, the poisoning only lasts for 10 seconds. She needs to be more careful, those arrows can slow her down a lot if she keeps getting hit by them. 

She continues to move towards Chad, striding faster than last time. Chad seems to notice the difference as he shoots another arrow, backing up a few steps himself. Niki dodges them, rolling onto the ground. This is going to take forever to reach him. He has a long-ranged weapon while she has short-ranged ones. The closer she gets to him, the more accurate his shots. So, how can she avoid these arrows? 

Niki charges at Chad, trying to test something. As a result, Chad fires again. Niki stops to evade the attack, allowing Chad more time to create distance between them. This is going to be a game of tag if this continues on. Niki needs to find a way to evade these arrows in a way that she doesn’t waste too much time dodging. In the moments that she wastes trying to avoid the attacks, Chad is creating more distance between them. She needs to close the distance in order to fight him, but if Chad keeps attacking far away like this, she will never be able to reach him.

Niki stops to contemplate. She looks at the fired arrows laying on the ground. Picking one up, she examines it thoroughly. She grabs one of her daggers and cuts the arrow in half. It was quite easy. The material doesn’t seem to be very solid, it’s just the poison on the tip that’s deadly.

“Do you not know what that is? It’s an arrow. You know what an arrow looks like?” Chad asks condescendly. It’s as if he’s talking to a child, trying to explain simple concepts to her. Niki bites her lips, trying to suppress her irritation. He thinks she’s stupid. Niki smiles sweetly, starting to approach Chad once again. But this time, she’s dashing at him. 

“Are you just going to run at me? Guess you are stupid.” Chad aims the crossbow, firing an arrow towards the center of Niki’s head. Niki doesn’t go to dodge it. She simply lets the arrow fly at her until it’s right above her face. She swings her dagger through the air, slicing the arrow in half as the two pieces fall onto the ground beside her feet. She doesn’t stop moving though as she continues to rapidly charge at her opponent. 

Not expecting Niki to literally slice his arrow into pieces, Chad thought there was a safe distance between them because Niki would’ve had to waste time dodging. But, unexpectedly, Niki didn’t stop to dodge and now she’s right in front of him. Chad goes to fire another arrow but Niki swipes at his legs, causing him to stumble to the ground. Chad falls down, losing his weapon as Niki kicks it out of his hand. 

Chad looks up, making eye contact with Niki. With blood dripping down her cheeks, she offers Chad a kind smile. 

“Looks like you lost to a girl.” Her smile, although seemingly innocent at first, turns into a mocking smirk. She crouches down to Chad’s eye level. Pointing a dagger at his Adam's apple, she cocks her head to the side. “Will you surrender? Are you going to admit you lost to me?” She giggles lightheartedly, finding it hilarious that Chad seems to nearly burst in anger. Niki holds the weapon even closer, the blade practically touching Chad’s throat.   
“I surrender.” Chad spits up, feeling like he’s been punched in the stomach. He shouldn’t have underestimated her because she was a woman. 

“Niki has won the 3rd round!!! The Cool Kids team has accumulated a total of 3 points! As there is only one duel left, there is no way for the White Men team to make a comeback! So, the scores are 3-0! The Cool Kids will move onto the next stage!”

“Oh my fucking god! Wilbur, did you see that? What the hell, Niki? That was awesome!!” Tommy tugs at Wilbur’s sleeves, trying to get his attention. He’s never seen Niki fight before, so this certainly took him by surprise.   
“Of course, Niki is competent. She looks nice but she’s really good with the knife.” Wilbur seems to be proud of her as well. With a grin on his face, he cheers for Niki as she returns to the stage below the arena.   
“Oh my god, you know I’m good with the knife too. Especially when I’m angry, I just go around stabbing shit.” Tommy jokes, receiving a smack on the head from Wilbur.  
“Save the stabbing shit for the battle, you child.” Wilbur laughs at the way Tommy frowns at his statement.   
“I am not a child, bitch!”  
“Alright you guys, stop hitting each other. Fucking hell!” Phil tries to get the boys to stop with the play fighting. Meanwhile, Technoblade watches as Phil is caught in the fight and ends up fighting as well. Chuckling, Technoblade smiles at them. He’s about to try to stop the fight himself but the host’s voice interrupts him. 

“Now, coming up! The next battle will be between the Woke Team and the Sleepy Bois team!!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SUCK IT WHITE MENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
> 
> so, what did we learn today? To respect women. If we as a group can come together and respect women enough, I believe I can write the next chapter faster. 
> 
> IT'S SUCH A GOOD DEAL. YOU'RE LENDING ME YOUR POWERS BY RESPECTING WOMEN AND I'LL GET THE NEXT CHAPTER OUT FASTER. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE IF YOU'RE A MAN. ANY MEN RESPECTING WOMEN AS HARD AS ME?? HMMMMMM????? ANY MALE FEMINISM??? HMMMM???


End file.
